Meet the Marmelsteins
Two Athletes. Two Flights Home. One Greater Calling.
For most of our lives, our identities were tied to a ball and a court. We chased excellence across the globe—from professional basketball gyms in Argentina to the Olympic sands of Tokyo. Yet for both of us, it took boarding an international flight home with heavy hearts to realize that the trophies, titles, and careers we had given everything for could never truly satisfy. God met each of us at 40,000 feet—trading our lifelong pursuit of athletic glory for the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ and making Him known.
SARAH'S STORY
From Chasing Gold to Chasing God
Sarah’s love for volleyball began at three years old, passing a ball with her dad in their Phoenix driveway. That early spark grew into an all-consuming pursuit that yielded three high school state titles, two NCAA National Championships at UCLA, a pro career right out of college, and her ultimate childhood dream: representing Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics.
Yet when the stadium lights turned off in Tokyo, standing at the pinnacle of her sport felt like the deepest valley. On the flight back to Los Angeles, overwhelmed by emptiness, Sarah looked in the airplane restroom mirror and surrendered her life to God—trading her identity as an athlete for her identity in Christ. Back home, she began waking up at 5:30 a.m. before training just to open her Bible, learning that volleyball was simply what she did, not who she was. Today, as the Assistant Beach Volleyball Coach at TCU, Sarah pours her Olympic experience into mentoring, encouraging, and discipling the next generation of young women in sport and faith.
MITCH'S STORY
In 2019, halfway through his second season playing professional basketball in San Martín, Argentina, a grade-four knee cartilage deterioration ended Mitch’s career. As his plane lifted off Argentine soil for the last time, he stared out the window weeping, asking God, “Is that it? Is it all over?”
Returning to Southern California without a plan just as the world shut down in 2020, Mitch spent quiet mornings on his parents’ front porch with a warm cup of coffee, watching the sun rise over the San Juan Capistrano hills. In that stillness, Jesus began revealing a life far bigger than basketball. After three different pastors independently asked if he had considered ministry, Mitch stood at a pulpit in San Pedro preaching on Jesus reinstating Peter: “Do you love me? Feed my sheep.” Through tears, Mitch realized Jesus was asking him that exact question. Saying yes led him through seminary, back to Argentina to make disciples, to meeting Sarah, and now to CANOPI—where he now equips believers to share the gospel and confront the silent epidemic of hopelessness across Latin America.
OUR MISSION TOGETHER
Now rooted in Fort Worth, Texas, our lives are anchored in one shared purpose: knowing Jesus and making Him known. Whether mentoring student-athletes on the sand at TCU or bringing teams across Latin America to proclaim the gospel and make disciples, we are grateful to spend our lives finding and feeding His sheep.
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